Electronic Arts, the makers of the award-winning Skate It videogame will hit retail stores starting November 19th in North America and November 20th in Europe for the Wii(TM) and Nintendo DS(TM). With intuitive Wii remote, nunchuck and DS stylus controls and the optional use of the Wii Balance Board, Skate It delivers a fun and unique skateboarding experience for skate fans and gamers of all ages.

Skate It brings gamers back to San Vanelona, a city that’s been safely evacuated, but left in ruins after being hit by a series of crazy events. Here, players are rediscovering their favourite spots, getting worked in Hall of Meat, and earning the opportunity to travel the world, all on their path to becoming Thrasher Magazine’s Skater of the Year. In Skate It, gamers will be able to make skate spots their own by moving objects like ramps, rails, and benches to fit their individual skating styles. The game also boasts a variety of multiplayer challenges, including Best Trick and Best Line, which will have players ripping it up with their friends as they prove their skateboarding prowess.

Skate It recently received the “Best Wii Game” award at the Games Convention tradeshow in Leipzig, Germany. Skate It was also nominated for Best Sports game for the “Game Critics Awards: Best of E3 2008″. Skate It is developed by EA Montreal in Montreal, Quebec and Black Box in Vancouver, British Columbia and is rated “E” for Everyone by the ESRB and 7+ by PEGI for Wii and 3+ by PEGI for Nintendo DS.

Introducing Tony Hawk Gummy MultiVitamins for Teens

Tony Hawn HuckJam Gummies

Ronkonkoma, NY (PRWEB) November 12, 2008 — Whether he’s busy shredding the halfpipe, working on his latest video game, touring the country with his Boom Boom HuckJam or making one of his numerous television appearances, skateboarding legend Tony Hawk is first and foremost an athlete. And athletes know the importance of good nutrition. However, most of Tony’s fans are boys ages 8 to 16 – not the most nutritionally conscious group around. So, Tony has joined forces with NBTY, Inc., a leading manufacturer of nutritional supplements and children’s vitamins, and created the Tony Hawk HuckJam brand of vitamins. These chewy “gummy” vitamins, shaped like miniature skateboard decks, skateboard wheels and Tony’s signature hawk skull, provide a good source of 11 vitamins and minerals, including Vitamin C, which bolsters the immune system*, and Vitamin B-12, a major factor in energy metabolism*.

To help make a big splash for the release of Tony Hawk HuckJam Gummies, NBTY, Inc. rolled out the vitamins nationally. There are two sizes available – a 60-count bottle and a 180-count bottle. Both will contain three great-tasting flavors of gummies: orange, cherry and grape. So whether you’re a parent looking to give your teen a better handle on nutrition, or a seasoned boarder ready to hit the skatepark, Tony Hawk HuckJam Gummies are a great source of the vitamins and minerals that help keep a body coming back for more. Send an email to info@sundownnutrition.com to find out more about Tony Hawk HuckJam Gummies.

About Tony Hawk Inc.
Tony Hawk Inc. is a world leader in its field with the unprecedented ability to bring alternative sports and their unique lifestyle to the masses while maintaining an indispensable edge of authenticity with the market’s hard-core, trendsetting audience. Founded by Tony Hawk in 1998 and based in Vista, CA, the company is organized into five segments: Merchandising, Events, Endorsements, Film and Digital Media. These lifestyle sports include skateboarding, BMX, Motocross, surfing and snowboarding. Consumer goods bearing the Tony Hawk brand have dominated several markets, including interactive games, skateboard hard goods, lifestyle apparel, toys, publications and more.

About NBTY
NBTY is a leading global vertically integrated manufacturer, marketer and distributor of a broad line of high-quality, value-priced nutritional supplements in the United States and throughout the world. Under a number of NBTY and third party brands, the Company offers over 22,000 products, including products marketed by the Company’s Nature’s Bounty®, Vitamin World®, Puritan’s Pride®, Holland & Barrett®, Rexall®, Sundown®, MET-Rx®, Worldwide Sport Nutrition®, American Health®, GNC (UK)®, DeTuinen®, LeNaturiste™, SISU®, Solgar(R), Good ‘n’ Natural®, Home Health™ and Ester-C® brands.

• These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Photo courtesy of www.steelroots.com

Steelroots is giving away a Brian Sumner autographed skateboard (Autographed Reliance Brian Sumner skate deck, Independent trucks, Rocket wheels, Ninja bearings, Grip tape, Bolts) and autographed NSS shoes! Sign up and complete The Uprising Survey for a chance to win!

Contest End Date: 10/31/2008

Tony Hawk’s Secret Skatepark Tour had an amazing group of friends showing up at skateparks unannounced, surprising the locals, ripping parks in Oregon, Montana, Indiana and the Cayman Islands, and culminating in a big demo in Athens, Georgia. With excited fans calling their friends, it doesn’t take long before the parks are overflowing with hundreds of skaters, fans, TV news crews and even police.

Once enough tricks get thrown down, it’s time to move on to the next park. On their way, the guys stop off to surprise fans at their homes and even drop by an unsuspecting middle school. Tony Hawk’s Secret Skatepark Tour 2 gave you an inside look at the athletes’ life on the road as they ride some of the best skateparks, travel, and pick up some friends in a cross-country quest to enjoy what they do best!

For more information visit Image Entertainment

Support Your Local Skate Shop

It used to be easy to spot one of your own fellow skaters no matter where you were in the world. It used to be as easy as checking out what shoes they were wearing and you knew instantly if you were in the presences of your own kind. The main reason for this is because back then when you actually fashioned yourself as a skateboarder, you actually were a skateboarder. Nowadays I see posers as far as the eye can see, the general consumer market is saturated with skateboard products. Just take a stroll through your local mall and you will see that everybody wants a piece of the “Xtreme” pie. I was in Walmart last night and walked by a display of Tony Hawk doing a hand plant in the name of teen vitamins?

The whole thing really distanced me from skateboarding for awhile as I watched skateboarding trends and fashion be raped by the masses. I just find it funny that the same jock itch Idiots that used to shout “Skate or Die Dude” as they drove by in their Bitchin Camero’s are now sporting Hurley shirts and Etnies skate shoes. In my opinion skateboarding has been soldout and watered down leaving the workhorse of the skateboarding industry in the dust, your friendly nighboorhood skate shop.

Sadly there is no stopping the wheels of progress and I like a good deal just as much as the next guy and we have all sold out skateboarding to some extent but at some point you have to say enough is enough. The bottom line is SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SKATE SHOP! If your buying your gear online make sure it’s skater owned and operated like 360skate.com or try driving past the mall and visit your local skate shop, I mean there’s a novel idea, buy your skate stuff from a skate shop because thats where you’ll find the “real deal” and real people.

What most people don’t realize is that most skateboard companies will only deal with local skate shops or at the very least grant them access to products way before they will be released to the mall rats. Chances are the people that work at your local skkate shop actually skate and have either used the products your interested in or know someone who has. They are gonna know what’s hot and what’s not, what is crap and what is worth spending your hard earned cash on.

I came across this press release about Foot Locker trying to get their “foot” in the skateboard industries door.

Foot Locker Inc. said it will buy skateboard-apparel business CCS from Delia’s Inc. for $102 million in cash, as the sportswear retailer tries to capture more younger customers.

The skateboarding-inspired apparel market has been a bright spot as consumer spending dwindles in segments like basketball shoes. CCS sells products such as skateboard shoes, apparel and accessories — from brands including Volcom, Nike and DC Shoes — directly to consumers through catalogs and the Internet. The company expects to generate $80 million in sales by 2009.

Retailers like Foot Locker have come under increased pressure to adapt to teenagers’ shifting tastes, which have migrated into action sports like skateboarding and BMX bike riding. In August, footwear sales in both basketball and action sports categories were roughly the same, with action sports sales growing 30% to $300 million, according to SportsScanInfo, a market research group.

“We believe that expanding our offerings in the skateboard category will allow us to broaden our appeal to the teenaged male, providing an exciting growth opportunity for our company,” said Matthew D. Serra, the chairman and chief executive of Foot Locker, in a press release Monday.

The deal will allow Foot Locker’s “retail operations to have greater access to hot-selling skate products that have limited availability at some of the firm’s brick-and-mortar formats,” John Shanley of Susquehanna Financial Group wrote in a research note Monday. However, the firm remains “cautious on Foot Locker’s near-term sales and earnings prospects given the current macroeconomic environment.”